userdan06

hello,

this is my first post, although i have been reading threads for a few weeks.

I was just hoping to get some advice on aqua scaping and stocking a tank that has just completed cycling(fish introduced on 1/20/2010)

My tank reads (API tests)
pH 7.6
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 5ppm
general hardness 5
carbonate hardness 3
temp 75

as of right now i have 4 red eye tetra and 3 black skirt tetra, unfortunately when i purchased them, the person at the store told me that the red eyes would only get to be about an inch to an inch and a half long, (found out later they get to 3 inches, little bigger than i wanted in my tank)
i plan to re-home all these fish in the next few weeks.a girl i work with has a 29 gallon tank that she just finished a fish-less cycle in, she said she would be more than happy to take them since they seem to fin nip each other a fair bit, maybe a bigger tank and a few more of each species would help.(she plans to only keep tetras and snails)

as of right now i would like to get (not all at once mind you)
a pair of killifish (Nothobranchius Rachovii Beira 98, or chocolate lyretail panchax killifish)
2-3 khuli loach
4-5 red cherry shrimp or glass shrimp
and a few(3-4) fancy guppies OR endler's live bearers(3-4) if i can find them local.
and possibly a few snails(cant think of the name for the ones that wont reproduce in freshwater).

does my stocking list seem reasonable for a 20g?(dimensions are 24x12x17inches) would it be a little over stocked?

as of now the tank has gravel .5-1 cm in diameter(2 inches thick), a few clay pots with assorted plastic and real grasses, and a few bulbs from petco (aponogeton, barclaya and waterlily), and a clay pot coated in java moss.(i plan to add a piece of drift wood to lower the ph, hopefully to 7.0, or closer to 7.0)


I would like to change to a sand or very fine gravel substrate before introducing the khuli loaches, but i would also like to have more live plants(they will be in small clay pots for ease of cleaning/fertalizing).

can anyone recommend a good substrate or brand? also would i be better with a light color sand/gravel(making the loaches stand out more) or a darker sand/gravel(making the brightly colored fish stand out more?)

Thanks very much, and I'm sorry for such a huge post/wall of txt.

PS i don't plan on doing anything to the tank for another 2 weeks to make sure the cycle keeps going strong before i begin changing things.

(removed outside link)

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore!!

Rather than linking to an outside site, it would be better for the members if you listed them in your post.

A darker substrate would bring out the color of the Red Cherry Shrimp. Kuhlis prefer sand over gravel.

Good luck and have fun with your tank

harpua2002

I think the snails you're looking for are nerites.

userdan06

thanks, link is removed, the list of fish are still in the original post.

if i go with black sand, are there albino or light color mutations of kuhli loach? I like the body shape, and size of them, but i want them to contrast with the substrate

thanks again

Lucy

I've seen lighter color kuhlis. They're pretty cute and hard to resist at the store.

Sorry, I can't help very much with your stocking, I don't know anything about killis.
Guppies or Endlers should be fine with the kuhlis, however, you might want more than 3, they can be pretty shy.

userdan06

thanks for all the info.

I have asked at the local fish stores(about 7 of them) and no one has experience with Killifish. From what I've read on various sites I think the smaller varieties will be fine(2-2.5 inches long) so long as they can't fit their tank mates in their mouth, and are well fed (don't read as aggressive, just big appetites).

Do you think my tank could support 5 kuhli rather than just 2 or 3? i know 5 is the recommended group size, i just didn't want to be overstocking.

I also want to incorporate a backdrop in my tank(going to start making it on Thursday and finish it by tues or wens). if i moved my filter to a 5 gallon tank along with 5 gallons of water + fish, would that keep the beneficial bacterial alive for 2-3 days? i know the tank will go through a minicycle because of the change from gravel to sand, when i return the fish and filter to the tank, but i will need to have a few days with the 20 gallon dry, for the silicone to dry(holding the backdrop in place).

i figure i can change over next weekend, silicone the drop in place and let it dry till Monday or Tuesday and then return the fish and water.


sry for the wall of txt
and thanks again